Monday, November 30, 2015

The Climate Summit referred to as COP21
begins in Paris today with 150 world leaders participating and over 190
countries represented. The main focus of this United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is to cap the rate of global warming at 2
degrees Celsius. (global warming today is pegged at 2.5 – 3.76 degrees Celsius). The delegations over the next eleven days are
expected to put together a deal on climate change which could effectively cut
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions between 2015 to 2030 which would hopefully bring
down the global temperatures to pre-industrial levels over a period of time.

The UNFCCC was created in 1992 at the
Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The agreement there desired that
countries take measures to address climate change; however, it was not binding.
In 1997, the Kyoto Protocol in Japan set binding targets for carbon emission.
COP15 in 2009 (Copenhagen, Denmark) decided that upto 100 billion dollars will
have to be given as aid to help developing countries to reach their emission
goals by 2020; despite various promises and pledges over the years, precious
little has been done by the major players.

Global warming in the last few years has
resulted in major catastrophes like the accelerating rise of sea levels,
punishing droughts, killer heat waves, terrible floods and storms; it has also resulted
in tsunamis and earthquakes. Those who are impacted by global warming are some
of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people; it disrupts food production
and threatens vitally important species, habitats and eco systems. According to recent study, the Antarctic and
Greenland have lost 5.5 trillion of ice. By any standards, 2015 was one of the
hottest years, experienced the world over, besides several “natural” calamities
took place all over!

Last year, global carbon emissions were
the highest ever. China is today considered the biggest polluter followed by
the US, the European Union, India, Russia and Japan. Unless these countries
demonstrate a political resolve to cut down on the emissions, things may not
change dramatically.

India has rightly talked about climate
justice and the need and importance for China, US and West European nations to
take the first steps. But India cannot
absolve itself of its role in global warming even though its contribution is
far below that of China or US. If the country is serious about addressing
climate change and of ensuring climate justice for all, it must immediately act
on several fronts, including:

i.putting
an immediate cap on the use of fossil fuels; promote the use of alternative
energies very particularly wind and solar energy. The Government must provide
subsidies for these very particularly for the poor and the marginalised.
Alternative energies should not be seen as mere cosmetics (add-ons) but need to
replace conventional sources of energy

ii.implementing
stringent environmental protection laws for multi-nationals and other big
corporations who pollute the environment. Many of the industrial houses that
are unable to do what they want in their own countries find in India an easy
place to maximise their profits. The ‘Make in India’ slogan is for many an
invitation to plunder and loot and to disregard basic environmental laws and
the lives of the poor here.

iii.ensuring
that global warming is a responsibility and concern of all; so the Government
has no business in stifling an organisation like ‘Greenpeace’ that has rendered a yeomen service to the environment
all over the world and in very tangible ways addressed climatic change. The
Government must have the courage and honesty to take on board NGOs and others
who have at heart only the good of the country and particularly the most
vulnerable sections of society, who are affected by climatic change.

Pope Francis has been particularly
strong on the topic; in his Encyclical ‘Laudato
Si: On the care for our common home’ he writes, “climate change is a global problem with grave implications:
environmental, social, economic, political and for the distribution of goods.
It represents one of the principal challenges facing humanity in our day. Its
worst impact will probably be felt by developing countries in the coming
decades. Many of the poor live in areas particularly affected by phenomena
related to warming, and their means of subsistence are largely dependent on
natural reserves and ecosystemic services such as agriculture, fishing and
forestry.” (#25).....“many of those
who possess more resources and economic or political power seem mostly to be
concerned with masking the problems or concealing their symptoms, simply making
efforts to reduce some of the negative impacts of climatic change. However,
many of these symptoms indicate that such effects will continue to worsen if we
continue with current models of production and consumption.” (#26)

In the run-up to COP21, the UN Secretary
General Ban Ki-moon has once again reminded developing nations to keep their
pledge to provide 100 billion dollars a year by 2020 to support concrete
mitigation actions by developing countries for a durable universal deal to
address rising greenhouse gas emissions.
“I expect the world to conclude a
universal climate agreement in Paris. The agreement must be durable – it should
provide a comprehensive, long-term vision of the opportunities created by
low-emission, climate resilient development and flexible. It must be rooted in
solidarity”, he said.

On Sunday 29th November,
there were massive rallies across the globe demanding substantial action from
the world leaders to stop climate change; besides an estimated 200,000 were
expected to descend on Paris but the French Government had banned all protests;
instead thousands of pairs of shoes were left on the ‘Place de la Republique’
to remember those left frustrated in their plans to march. A symbolic but powerful reminder that the
road ahead for climate justice is going to be a long and tough one!

30th
November, 2015

(* Fr. Cedric Prakash SJ is
the Director of PRASHANT, the
Ahmedabad-based Jesuit Centre for Human Rights, Justice and Peace.)

Sunday, November 29, 2015

[India will be one of the worst affected by rising globaltemperatures. Extreme heat already kills hundreds in summer, the smogover North India thickens with every winter and mortalities related toair pollution have soared. Cycles of drought and flood have wreakedhavoc in the agricultural lands. In a hotter world, millions living inthe floodplains and coastal areas will be displaced....But curbing climate change is not a luxury anymore and unless urgentmeasures are taken, it could disrupt the government’s favoureddevelopment narrative as well. The deal that India pushes for in Parisshould be equitable as well as ambitious. There is no reason thatclimate justice has to stand in the way of climate change mitigation.]

Why India must push for a climate deal that is both just and ambitious

Cracking down on climate change is not a luxury anymore.Ipsita Chakravarty · Yesterday · 12:30 pm

A sampler of the headbutting likely to take place at the UnitedNations Climate Change Conference in Paris next week: US Secretary ofState John Kerry recently told the media that India was a “challenge”to the climate regime taking shape because of its “restrained"attitude to the “new paradigm”. No such thing, shot back India's UnionEnvironment Minister Prakash Javadekar. India was not a blockingcountry and would do its fair share, but the developed world needed tovacate “climate space” first.

Already, the conversation on global warming has fallen intopredictable oppositions: climate change mitigation versus climatejustice, the developed world versus the developing, richer countriesof the G20 versus poorer nations of the G77+China. In this round,India has emerged as the prime crusader for climate justice, leadingthe charge for the developing world. Its actions will set the tone forthe other developing countries of the G77, and the Global SolarAlliance mooted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi could create a newsphere of influence when it comes to negotiations.

But as it pushes for a more just process of negotiations andregulatory framework, India must recognise the need to act quitedrastically against climate change. It’s not just a first worldproblem.

Down with history

Kerry and his cohort have been sniffing righteously about an“ambitious” climate deal in Paris and claim India could spoil theparty. There is of course this little detail: the internationalcommunity has not even been able to make good on previous,less-ambitious climate deals and has long backed out of thecommitments made in the relatively modest Kyoto Protocol. Since theParis deal will not be legally binding either, there is no reason asyet to believe it will fare any better than its predecessors.

There is another detail that developed countries seem to have skippedand India has pointed out. An ambitious agenda for climate change, inthis case, means abandoning the principles of justice that have shapeddeals over the past two decades. The principle of common butdifferentiated responsibility was evolved in the Rio conference of1992 and endured through Kyoto 2005. It recognised that most of theenvironmental degradation witnessed today has been caused by 150 yearsof industrialisation. The older industrialised nations of the Westwere more to blame, the common sense ran, and it was for them to cleanup their mess. Common but Differentiated Responsibility combined thisnotion of historical responsibility with a country’s individualcapacity to act against climate change. Poorer, developing countrieswhich needed to grow fast to meet their domestic needs could not beexpected to prioritise climate change concerns, while richer countrieswere able to bear the costs of mitigation.

The first United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, whichcame into being in 1994, had just 20 countries committing to emissioncuts. These countries, mostly rich, were also to help others inmeeting their climate change goals. Things started changing after theKyoto Protocol, which the US refused to ratify, insisting that globalwarming could not be controlled unless China, Brazil and India, allbig ticket polluters, also agreed to cut emissions.

Rich nations' club

The first draft of the new UNFCCC seems to reverse the principles ofthe older agreements and has upset Indian negotiators. It throws outthe notion of differentiated responsibility and stipulates heavyemission cuts across the board. The projected cuts are likely toaffect developing countries disproportionately, costing them about$790 billion a year. Yet the draft does not show a way to bridge theseinequities. It does not say how the developed world will fulfil itsresponsibility to help poorer countries cope with the demands of thenew deal, both financially and through sharing clean technologies.Indian negotiators have also claimed that the draft ignores thesuggestions made by developing countries, is inimical to domesticinterests and projects a consensus when there was none.

It is not just the contents of the draft agreement that areproblematic to India, it is also the decision making process.Recently, India stalled an attempt by the G20 to “pre-decide” thecontours of the Paris deal in a pact outside the formal negotiationprocess. All decisions, Indian negotiators insisted, should be takenat Paris, where every participating country has an equal say.

It is difficult, at this juncture, to resist clichés about imperialismand neocolonialism in describing both the draft and the preliminarymeetings. They reek of regressive “first world” bullying, of anoutdated attitude that assumes it is perfectly fine for a clique ofrich countries to take the moral high ground, decide what is best forthe international community and formulate a game plan that involvesminimum cost to themselves, or at least, to the US.

The Climate Action Tracker, for one, has rated India’s “IntendedNationally Determined Contribution”, or proposed commitments tomitigation, considerably higher than the US’s, just below the EuropeanUnion and China’s.

Climate change is here

In Paris, therefore, Indian negotiators will have to fight for a moreequitable agreement. But the politics of a climate change deal cannotdetract from the vital need to have an agreement with teeth.

***India will be one of the worst affected by rising globaltemperatures. Extreme heat already kills hundreds in summer, the smogover North India thickens with every winter and mortalities related toair pollution have soared. Cycles of drought and flood have wreakedhavoc in the agricultural lands. In a hotter world, millions living inthe floodplains and coastal areas will be displaced.*** [Emphasisadded.]

The Indian establishment has traditionally regarded climate change asecondary concern, to be postponed until more pressing problems ofgrowth and development were met. And in spite of its grandstandingabroad, this government’s domestic record on environment does notevince much confidence – in a rush to ease up regulatory bottlenecks,it has cleared infrastructure projects indiscriminately and in a bidto attract investors, it has diluted environmental safeguards. Thedraft Environmental Laws (Amendment) Bill 2015 focuses on extractingmonetary penalties from polluters instead of making them clean up.

***But curbing climate change is not a luxury anymore and unlessurgent measures are taken, it could disrupt the government’s favoureddevelopment narrative as well. The deal that India pushes for in Parisshould be equitable as well as ambitious. There is no reason thatclimate justice has to stand in the way of climate changemitigation.*** [Emphasis added.]

More in the storyWhy is Modi not believableWhat is the real RSS agenda

Poitical opportunism is like the colour of the sky: it changesaccording to the time of the day, the season and other factors.

On Friday, 27 November, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in an unusualavatar: he praised BR Ambedkar, quoting him on he and his ideologyreflected.

He was speaking in Parliament, at the two-day special sitting thatstarted 26 November, designated by the Modi government as ConstitutionDay. The session to discuss commitment to the Constitution was part ofthe 125th birth anniversary celebrations of Ambedkar.

There are opposing interpretations of what Modi and others in hisgovernment said at the session. Some think it is an inclusive gestureand should be taken positively. Others disagree.

Opposition leaders see a conspiracy in the softness, in thepro-Ambedkar attitude of the government.

They see an attempt by the Bharatiya Janata Party to give itself arole in the movement for independence; an attempt to claim Ambedkarand his legacy and to provoke arguments around key elements of theConstitution, igniting a public debate, pushing for amendments,changes.

What did Modi sayModi on Friday was soft and humble in the House. Unlike the Modi thatParliament and people have seen since May 2014.

He was trying to be more friendly with the Opposition, which hashardly let Parliament function in the Monsoon session. Most Billsproposed by the government are pending. Especially, the Rajya Sabhahas repeatedly snubbed the arrogance and exclusiveness of the TreasuryBenches, who is in a minority there.

Read- Tactical change: the PM is more parliamentarian than ever before

But Modi had a more pressing need: to claim Ambedkar. He painted hisspeech with colours that would assimilate in the portrait of theleader who visioned the Constitution. The PM talked about diversityand its beauty, saying one can't ignore the role of the leaders whocontributed to the making of the Constitution.

(Excuse me, I am not criticising anybody. But, without Babasaheb(Ambedkar), the Constitution wouldn't have been this great socialdocument. It was his pain, his plight, which made the Constitution.)

Modi praised Ambedkar - the "dalit maa ka beta" (the son of a Dalitmother) - and quoted a Sanskrit shloka to describe him. There was noresponse when he read it; the hindi translation earned some claps.

"If someone even thinks about changing the constitution, he isactually attempting suicide," he said. "A majority doesn't meananything could be imposed on people."

And Modi brought in references: From Vajpayee to his own speeches tosocial reformers such as Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Ishwarchandra Bidyasagar(calling him Vidyasagar Rao) and others.

The efforts were to showcase a more inclusive, tolerant and liberalPM. To claim Ambedkar and be in his shoes.

Why is Modi doing this"In 2009, we celebrated 60 years of Constitution in Gujarat. We placeda big copy of the Constitution on an elephant," Modi said. This is notthe first time Modi and the school of thought he follows has tried tobag Ambedkar.

There have been several attempts. Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)has claimed several times that Ambedkar was happy with theorganisation's work.

Ambedkar, in fact, fought his entire life against the core merits ofHinduism. In the end he accepted Buddhism along with his supporters.

The mantra of Madhukar 'Balasaheb' Deoras was social engineering,focused on looping in more and more people. This was not possiblewithout bringing in the majority castes, which are Dalits andbackwards.

This is the reason why Vallabhbhai Patel, who banned the RSS afterGandhi's assassination, is now part of the RSS-BJP pantheon. The SanghParivar now uses Patel on its prime posters to gain wideracceptability. Not to forget, the giant statue of his that Modi haspromised.

Of late, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat has released several books wherewriters from the Sangh stable have tried to re-write the Ambedkarstory in a light favouring their ideology. Expect more books onAmbedkar and Gandhi, sources in the organisation said. Such effortshave been accelerated in the Modi regime.

From Uttar Pradesh to Punjab and in many other states, Ambedkar couldgive the BJP passage to Dalit votes.

What exposes Modi and the government"It is an attempt (NDA's) to worm into the national movement where youhave no role," said Sitaram Yechury, who represents Communist Party ofIndia (Marxist) in the Upper House.

He and the leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad told the House thatthe notification for the celebration was issued by the Ministry forSocial Justice on 19 November. "This is technically not possible as ithas to be done by the Home Ministry," said Azad.

Also watch: Sitaram Yechury's comments on commitment to India's constitution

They also produced orders issued by the education ministry on 10November - a full nine days before the notification was issued -regarding the celebration. "How come the orders came before thenotification. This is illegal and wrong way of doing things," theCongress leader added.

Both Yechury and Azad pointed out that Ambedkar himself had said theConstitution would be fully adopted on 26 January. That's the dayIndia celebrates Republic Day. Then why does the BJP wants to rewritehistory.

"It is an event. You know event management and through it you want toclaim the space in the history where you didn't contribute," Yechurysaid.

The Opposition has reasons to doubt Modi and his government. Theopening speeches by Rajnath Singh in Lok Sabha and Arun Jaitley inRajya Sabha focused on the larger agenda of claiming Ambedkar and atthe same time, provoking a debate around the main elements of theConstitution.

Ambedkar had not put the word 'secularism' in Constitution and now itis the most misused word in India, Singh said. Jaitley talked aboutclauses about equality and uniformity, elaborating how the period ofEmergency was biggest setback to the Constitution.

Yechury called it a pick-and-choose tactic, accusing the governmentfor playing with clauses of its choice according to convenience. Azadcalled it divide-and-rule while Janata Dal (United)'s Sharad Yadavsaid the country still awaits implementation of social justice anddignity to the poor and marginalised, who form the majority.

Actually, speeches by BJP leaders had four key objectives:

claim Ambedkarblame the Oppositionattempt a cocktail of Ambedkar and their ideologyopen a passage to debate and amend/change the Constitution.Modi's Idea of India and contradictionThe PM ended his speech by slogans: "The government has only onereligion - India First. The government has only one holy book - theConstitution" and so on.

The problem with his speech and his 'idea of India' is rooted in hispersonality, his party and its ideology.

modi hijacks ambedkar embedArchitects of communal violence have found place in his government. Hehas preferred criminals and the corrupt over clean and committedpeople. The PM is hardly democratic and not at all inclusive in hisstyle of governance.

The hate speeches in the Bihar election campaign and incidents such asthe ones in Dadri and Faridabad are completely opposite to what Modisaid in the House on Friday.

Ambedkar's idea about economic policies, foreign policy, federalism,home affairs and the commitment to social inclusiveness are elementsmissing from Modi's actions.

The way the minorities, the marginalised, academicians and the peopleof arts, literature and sciences are suffering in this regime iscompletely against Ambedkar's vision and idea. The problem of Modi isthat he can't control the core organisations of the ideology.

The pledge for Ram Mandir and commitment to the Constitution is likemixing oil with water. It can't work. That's the fabric of the countryand Modi can't change it.

A senior parliamentarian warned: "Don't get confused with the makeup.It won't last."-

Saturday, November 28, 2015

Anthony De Mello, S.J., told about the following exchange between a student and his spiritual director:

Student: Is there anything I can do do make myself enlightened? Director: As little as you can do to make the sun rise in the morning.

Student: Then of what use are the spiritual exercises you prescribe?Director: To make sure you are not sleeping when the sun begins to rise.

Advent comes to us when the nights are darker, the days are colder, and the earth is dormant. Most of us begin to yearn for the warmth and life that come in spring. Over time, the longer days come and the earth sprouts with new life. Christ too comes to satisfy the longings that arise in our darkness. He is "the tender mercy of the Father, the dawn that shall break upon us to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death. He is the one who will guide our feet into the way of peace." (Luke 1:78-79)

Just hours ago, Cardinal Cláudio Hummes of Brazil presented over 800,000 of yourCatholic Climate Petition signatures to United Nations and French officials in Paris along with the petitions of other interfaith groups. Collectively the messages of over 1.7 million people of faith calling for climate justice were delivered from all over the world.

During the event, Cardinal Hummes stated, “I pray for political leaders to “hear both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor” (Laudato Si # 49) and to respond to the climate justice demand from faith communities.”

Already Catholics have joined actions in Nairobi, Dhaka, Melbourne, Manila and other parts of the globe to voice their concern for our common home as part of theGlobal Climate March (see some pictures here!). Thousands more of us will do the same in our communities today or tomorrow.

Will you be one of them?

If you haven’t done so already, check here for details on Catholics marching in your area (there have been updates, so double check for sure!). If you don’t see anyone listed, use the search button at the bottom of the march page to find a local event.

This is a new moment in history, as we Catholics are helping to shape the future of our climate in historic numbers. We bring a special contribution, along with other faith groups, of elevating the moral and spiritual dimension of this crisis. This is a question of living our faith to care for others, especially the poor and vulnerable among us.

PPS. Following the tragic attacks on November 13, mass marches and demonstrations around Paris have been prohibited by the French authorities. Register here to dedicate your march for a Parisian unable to join in. It’s a beautiful act of solidarity.

Friday, November 27, 2015

This day is of special significance for us. After several birth pangs made more painful by vicious attacks of the state, the re-invented online version of Communalism Combat is before you, online on www.sabrangindia.in Do have a look, visit us, send in your feedback. The special features include the ‘In Fact’ section that de-constructs propaganda and myths; Image stories from India’s best photographers as they offer us a worldview through their lens, investigation and opinions on issues that matter. A very special feature is the peace map that maps, at regular intervals, structural violence and conflict on www.peacemap.in

Our video interviews, started a year ago will also be featured regularly. Combat in collaboration with Newsclick.in and Hillele.org have, over the past year, interviewed the finest Indian minds, be their academics or activist. Historian Romila Thapar’s interview has been viewed substantially and our inaugural edition comes to you with a vibrant conversation with Hindustani music composer and singer, Shubha Mudgal.

Through the mid 1980s until the early 1990s virulent rightwing majoritarian organisations built up the volatile communal climate which culminated in the demolition of the Babri Mosque in Ayodhya on December 6, 1992. This movement was speared by an aggressive politics that targeted India’s minorities, both physically and through a distorted public metaphor. The Shiv Sena-led anti-Muslim pogrom in Bombay (now Mumbai) was accompanied by widely sanctioned hate speech that in fact set standards of a new national norm.

In response to the concerted campaign to transform secular democratic India into a Hindu Rashtra, we the undersignedquit our jobs in the mainstream media to channelise our professional skills in fighting the cancer of divisive politics. The launch of a monthly journal, Communalism Combat in 1993 was an outcome of that effort.

It was our conviction then, as it is now, that a free media cannot be value neutral. A free media is only conceivable in a society that values freedoms, can only flourish in a secular democratic environment. It follows that those with claims to being part of the free media must walk the talk. Far from being passive consumers, they must remain vigilant, passionate protectors and promoters of the fundamental freedoms and rights of all citizens guaranteed by the Indian Constitution. In that alone lies its own freedom.

From the very beginning and throughout its nearly 20-year long journey, Communalism Combat eschewed the he-said-she-said brand of ‘objective journalism’ and remained a ‘partisan’ journal.

Partisan, in favour of principles and values enshrined in the Constitution of India and the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948): secularism, democracy, non-discrimination and equal opportunities, equality before law and equal protection of law, freedom of speech and conscience, celebration of diversity and pluralism, communal harmony.

Partisan, opposed to the politics of prejudice, discrimination, hatred and violence, religious intolerance and extremism, divisiveness, communal discord. The journal did not oppose religion per se but the manipulation of religious sentiments for political ends. At the same time it maintained that religious beliefs and practices in conflict with ideals of fundamental freedoms and rights must be open to critical review and reform.

Never indulgent towards communalism of any hue, Communalism Combat campaigned against majority and minority communalism, caste and gender discrimination with equal fervor. In particular, it functioned as an ever-vigilant watchdog against spreading communal virus. While most of the mainline media in India was (and remains) content with episodic reportage, between 1997-98 and 2002, Communalism Combat published five cover stories and several special reports alerting society and state functionaries about the systematic build-up to the genocidal targeting of Gujarat’s Muslims in 2002.

Communalism Combat stood for and defended the rights of all religious minorities, including Kashmiri Pandits, whether in India or elsewhere in the sub-continent. Recognising that communalism is a malady afflicting all of South Asia, throughout its two-decade existence the journal frequently highlighted the plight of and atrocities against religious minorities – Hindus, Christians, Buddhists, Ahmediayas – in neighbouring Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka. It was the first Indian publication to focus on the ominous rise of the Taliban in the 1990s. Hell on Earth was the cover story of the journal in November 1998, long before the Taliban had committed the sacriligeous act of destroying the Bamiyan Buddhas. By late 1998, it had made life a living hell for Afghan women.

Partisan though it unashamedly was defending certain core values and principles Communalism Combat maintained a high standard of professional integrity and journalistic ethics. A journal with limited circulation but wide reach, Communalism Combat gained national and international recognition and awards from the very first years of its publication.

Financially, however, the journal lived precariously throughout. Committed to free and independent reportage and analysis, we had to stop publishing in late 2012. We are re-launching now, redoubled in our efforts, committed to our credo: Hate hurts, Harmony works.

In the growing climate of intolerance, and worse, now prevailing in India a forum such as Communalism Combat is needed more than ever before. With the launch of two mutually complementary online platforms (www.sabrangindia.in and www.peacemap.in) on this Constitution Day, November 26, 2015 we are re-affirming our commitment to the pledge that ‘We, the People of India’, gave ourselves soon after gaining Independence from colonial rule.

The content we have to offer is serious but the effort is to make it viewer/reader friendly. For the endless hours over many months devoted to the design and development of the two platforms by an amazing array of IT professionals who volunteered their expertise, our grateful thanks. A vast band of supporters and volunteers have put in hours of hard work with creative inputs. Through a particularly difficult period for us, this show of whole-hearted support has been both rewarding and sustaining.

Our many thanks also to highly regarded columnists, writers and social activists who have so generously offered to contribute editorial content for www.sabrangindia.in on a regular basis. Apart from the many new elements being introduced by us, through this platform viewers will be able to access the content earlier published over nearly 20 years in the old issues of Communalism Combat.

We count on your support and contributions to make this new venture viable.

Friday, November 20, 2015

On September 27th 2011 Arun Ferreira was released from the
Nagpur jail after being illegally incarcerated since May 2007 on charges of
being a naxalite. Just as he stepped out
from the gates of the jail even as his aged parents and other family members
waited outside the jail to welcome him back into their loving embrace, Arun was
forcibly arrested once again and that too without a warrant.

The next day, on September 28th
he was produced at the JMFC Court in Gadchiroli district, Maharashtra in a
fabricated case of criminal conspiracy of 2007 despite the fact that the Trial
Court had exonerated him of every single charge the previous day. He continued to languish in jail till January
3rd 2012 when he was granted bail; only on January 29th 2014
was he finally acquitted of all the false cases which were foisted on him by
the State and other vested interests.

Arun Ferreira is a saga in courage. An
alumnus of St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai, he is basically a human rights
defender, engaging in social and political activism. As a college student, he
organised students to fight for their rights and against social
atrocities. He deeply involved himself
in the ‘right-to-housing’ struggles of Mumbai slum dwellers and later on with
the tribals and other marginalised communities in rural Maharashtra. For his
commitment to the rights of the poor, he was picked up in 2007 and was falsely charged
of being a naxalite. For nearly five years in jail after that - besides being
charged with several crimes like criminal conspiracy, murder, possession of
arms and rioting - he was tortured and suffered greatly from police brutality.

Arun was our guest at ‘PRASHANT’ on
November 16th 2015, the day which is observed by the United Nations
as ‘the International Day of Tolerance’.
We had invited a select group of our collaborators and well-wishers to listen to
his painful and traumatic experience in prison. Without rancour or anger, but
in a way which touched the hearts of all present, he shared with those present
the ordeal of being a prisoner in India today.

His
prison memoir entitled ‘Colours of the
Cage’ contains a fair bit of what he went through in jail. On the cover
page of the book is a note from well-known author and activist Arundhati Roy “Arun Ferreira gives us a clear-eyed,
unsentimental account of custodial torture, years of imprisonment on false
cases and the flagrant violation of procedure that passes as the Rule of Law.
His experience is shared by tens of thousands of our fellow countrymen and
women, most of whom do not have access to lawyers or legal aid. This country
needs many more books like this one”.

During his conversation at ‘PRASHANT’, Arun
highlighted the need and importance for civil society to work for prison
reforms; the condition in the jail, he says, are abominable, inhuman with very
archaic rules which govern them. Secondly, he asserted, that people should come
out to fight draconian laws like the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA),
2004 which is draconian, violative of basic human rights and goes against the
letter and spirit of the Constitution of India; such anti-people laws need to
be abolished.

In the foreword to ‘Colours of the Cage’, Naresh Fernandes writes “Arun Ferreira reminds us that diversity of opinion and debate are
essential for any society to flourish. The worst thing we can do to ourselves
is to imprison our imagination”.

Today, Arun continues his activism as an
advocate focussing on issue of political prisoners, prison reforms and on the state
of Indian democracy. He is truly a prophet for our times: a saga in courage!

20th
November, 2015

*(Fr. Cedric Prakash SJ is the Director of PRASHANT, the Ahmedabad-based Jesuit Centre for Human Rights,
Justice and Peace.)

While our spirits are high with this accomplishment, our hearts are heavy with the recent attacks in Paris and Beirut. We offer our prayers of healing and courage where there is grief and fear. And now it is time to stand behind our signatures with a renewed resolve to embrace fully God’s infinite love and mercy.

In 12 days, hundreds of thousands of families and people of all ages will be taking to the streets for the Global Climate March on November 29.

Help us get at least 100,000 Catholics to “pray with their feet” by joining this historic march.

We have put together a Global Climate March Toolkit with everything you need to reach out to your priest or fellow parishioners: posters, banners, talking points, sample letters, and more.

▢ ACT: Promote the Global Climate March in your parish by asking your parish priest if you can post one of these posters on the church billboard and/or or make one of these announcements after mass. Invite 10 people to join you in the Global Climate March by sharing this video or one of these banners on social media or through email.

▢ REFLECT: This week we reflect on chapters 3 and 4 of Laudato Si’. The Franciscan resource we are using asks us to reflect on several questions including, “Pope Francis affirms that “intergenerational solidarity is not optional, but rather a basic question of justice”. What must be done to guarantee a better future for the generations to come?”

▢ PRAY: As we near the end of the liturgical season we reflect on the enduring power of Christ and His selfless love which we are all called to embody in our own actions. We pray for the people of Paris, Beirut, Kenya, Burundi and other places living in the aftermath of recent and ongoing waves of violence. With the recent attacks in Paris, we especially #Pray4cop21 that a strong climate agreement will still emerge in the upcoming negotiations.

Reflecting on the recent tragedies in Paris, Pope Francis shared “Jesus’ triumph will be the triumph of the cross, the demonstration that the sacrifice of oneself out of love for one’s neighbor, in imitation of Christ, is the only victorious power and the only stable point in the midst of the upheavals and tragedies of the world.”

It is love that will triumph over the sins of the world, from the violence committed in Paris to those being being perpetrated against our Mother Earth. May your participation in caring for our common home reflect how Christ’s power of love can transform this world.

Your companions on the journey,

Christina, Tomas, Mary, Janine, Igor, Fabian, Leila, Lou, Marie, and the rest of the GCCM team